Method of packing cans.



H'. E. H001);' METHOD 0F PACKING CAMSt APPLICATION FILED mufallz.

Pvtented Aug. 26, 1913.

l- IVIIII, 4

nuv

UNITED srairns PATENT oEEroE.

HARRY H. HOOD, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR T0 SPRAGUE CANNING GHINERY COMPANY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF ILLINOIS.

METHOD 0F .PACKING ICANS.

Speeication of Letters Patent.

Application led January 5, 1912. Serial No. 669,702. I

To all whom t may concern Be it known that l, HARRY Hoon, a citizen of the United States, residmg at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and nse ful Improvements inMethods of .Packing Cans, of which the following a. specilication.

My invention relates to improvements in methods of packing cans, and refers particularly (although not exclusively) to the packing of Yfood products in cans which are to be subsequently closed by the application of a cap which soldered in place.

My invention is especially adapted for use in the case of a can having a top which contains an aperture therein of less diameter or size than that of the cross-section ofthe can. According to the construction of can which is ordinarily employed, the receivingaperture through which the meat, vegetable, food or other productis introduced is provided varound its periphery with a groove or crease adapted to receive the downturned edge of the rap which etl'ects the closure. lt has been found that l'mrticularly in packing meats and other solid material a portion of the latter is likely to protrude from the can and extend into or foul the almvc-mentioned groove in the can top lso that it becomes difticult to solder the cap in position. A considerable amount of additional labor is required in order to clean or remove the ma terial from this groove before the soldering can be satisfactorily accomplislual.

`It is the object of my invention to im-v prove the method of packing so that the material will be prevented from coming in contact with thisgroovc, whereby there may bel no delay in applying the caps and soldering them 'in position.

l accomplish the desired results by providing a packing tuberwhich registers with the receiving aperture ot' the can. The meat or other n'iaterial to be packed is placed within this tube, and on top of the material is placed a protector, shield, or retainer constructed of pasteboard, metal or other suitable substance which possesses a slight amount of resiliency. This retainer when first placed in position overlaps, in certain portions at least, the bore of the lube. A. plunger is brought into contact with this retainer and forces it and the food into the can, the portions of the retainer which overlap the tube being folded against the sides of the end of the plunger, this end being preferably of 'less diameter than the main body of the plunger for the accommodation of these folded portions. When the con tracted retainer reaches the lower end of the` tube, the folded edges are released and become partially llatten'ed, whereby the retainer (now inside of the can) overlaps the receiving aperture of the can top and revents the packed material from protruding from the can and coming in contact with and fouling the groove or crease in the can top. These and other advantages of my invention will be more readily understood by reference to the accompanying drawings, which show a preferred embodiment of means for carrying out my improved process, and in which- Figure 1 is a diagrammatic vertical section through a packing machine; Fig. 2 is a perspective of one form of retainer; li1 ig. 3 is a perspective of a modied form of retainer; Fig. t is a perspective of a second modified form of retainer; and, Fig. 5 is a fragmentary vertical section through a portion of the can, showing the retainer and can cap in place.

The packing machine consists of a base 10 having integral therewith a supporting bracket 11. The base 10 also has the platform 12, on which the can 13 may be placed. vertically movable within the bearing 14 of the bracket 11 is the plunger '15, which is actuated by any suitable mechanism, and which, for the sake of simplicity, has not been shown. The lower end 16 of the plunger is preferably of-slightly smaller dia-meter than the main portion of the latter, for the purpose which will be explained here after.

Vertically movable within the bearing 17 ot' the bracket 11 is a packing sleeve 18, the upper end of which is preferably provided with a flange 19. The inner diameter of the packing sleecve 1S is preferably substantially the same as the out-er diameter of the main portion of the plunger 15, so that as the latter passes through the packing sleeve it has a snug fit therein. The upper end of the packing sleeve 18 is adapted to receive the retainer or protector 20, which is of pasteboard, metal or other suitable material.

The can 13 which is packed by means of Gti ' which I employ, the method of operation may now be readily understood: The can 13 "bei'ngplaced in position on the platform 12,

the packing tube 18 is brought into register with the receiving aperture 22. -A desired amount of meat or other material to be packed is then placed Within the tube 18 and the' retainer 2O is placed on the upper end of vthe tube. The plunger 15 is now actuated,

'and its end 1G first comes in contact with the retainer 20. On accountof the fact that the latter overlaps the tube 18, the edges of the retainer are folded upwardly around the end 1G of the plunger, this condition of the retainer being indicated in dotted lines in Fig. 1. As the plunger 15 moves downwardly the meat or other material 24 within lthe tube 18 is forced into the can 13 and the retainer' is forced through the tube in contracted condition. After the retainer 20 has been carried down into the can so that its upturned edge is disengaged from the lower end of the packing tube 18, this edge straightens out and the retainer assumes the position within the. can indicated in Fig. 1, thereby preventing the material 24 within the can from coming in contact with the gro`ove23 in the can top. The plunger 15 is now moved upwardly and the tube 18 is slight-ly raised in order to allow the can 13 to be removed. A new can is then placed in position and the same operation is repeated. h

The tube 18 may be made of such dimensions that it is of a size to exactly contain a sufficient amount of material to fill the can and thus may act as a 4'measuring device; or it may be of smaller capacity than the can, in which case the retainer isapplied only when the final charge of meat or other material is packed.

The' retainer. which I preferably employ iscircular and constructed of pasteboard, Vits shape being shown in Fig. 2. If desired, however, an aperture 26 may be used in the retainer, thereby more readily allowing the escape of air through the vent of the cap whcnthemeat or other material is 'subsequently heated. A retainer having such an aperture is indicated in Fig. 3.

In Fig. 4 I have shown a still further modified form of retainer 27 which may be constructed of metal and in which'only the ends 28 are folded upwardly as the retainer passes through the tube 18. I have found that in many cases it is satisfactory to emp'loy a retainer of this type to keep the matcrial from coming in Contact with the groove 1n the can tot After the can 13 has been packed and the retainer is placed in positiornpthe can cap 29, of the usual type, is applied and soldered inf, place. This cap is provided withv the vent' 30, which is tipped in the well known manl ner in order to effect the nal closure.

It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that many changes could be made in the improvements which I have described without departing from the spirit or scope of my invention.

What I claim is:

1. The method of packing material in a receptacle having an apertured wall, which consists in introducing said material into said receptacle through said. aperture, and inserting a retainer in contracted condition through said aperture, whereby after its introduction into the receptacle said protector on expansion will act to prevent the contents of said receptacle from protruding from the latter and fouling the outer portion of said wall, thereby facilitating the application and sealing ofa cap for closing said aperture, substantially as described.

2. The method of packing material in a receptacle having an apertured wall, which eonsistsin simultaneously forcing said material and. a retainer through said aperture into said receptacle, said retainer adapted to extend beyond the margin of said. aperture, thereby retaining the contents in the receptacle and preventing their coming in contact with the outer surface of said wall, substantially as described.

3. The method of packing material in a receptacle having an apertured wall, which consists in simultaneously forcing said material and a retainer in contracted condition through said aperture into said receptacle, thereby causing said retainer to extend beyond the margin of said aperture when the retainer expands after its passage through the aperture, whereby thecontents of the receptacle'will be prevented from coming in contact with the outer surface of said wall and fouling the latter, substantially as described.

4. The method of packing material in a can having an apertured top, which consists in introducing the material into a packing tube, placing a retainer on top of said matcrial, saidv retainer overlapping said tube, and simultaneously forcing said material and lsaid retainer through said tube into said receptacle, whereby the retainer will pass through said aperture in contracted condi* tion. thereby preventing said material from coming in contact With the outer surface of said top when the retainer subsequently expands within thel can, substantially as described.

5. The method of packing material in a can having -an apertureil top, which consists in placing Athe material in a packing tube in register with seid aperture, placing a repanding within the recept-ac1e,rvhereby the tainer on the end of said tube, and-forcing a contents of the latter are prevented from 10 plunger through said tube, thereby `carryin coming in contact with the outer surface ofl tube and into said receptacle, the edge of said material and said retalner through sai said top, substantiallIy-i as described.

ARRY H. HOOD. seid retainer being folded against the end of Witnesses:

said plunger during its passa e throu h the DANIEL Gr. TRENCH, tube, said folded portion susequent y exl LELAND A. BAooox. 

